CLEVELAND – The No. 5 seed Ohio women's basketball team (18-12, 11-7 MAC) took down No. 4 seed Central Michigan, 89-88, in a tough battle on Wednesday, March 11. With the victory, the Bobcats will advance to the semifinals and face off with No. 1 seed Miami on Friday, March 13.
 
Ohio shot 45.5 percent from the field, 43.3 percent from the arc and 88.9 percent from the line. The Bobcats finished with 29 rebounds, 20 assists, eight steals and three blocks.
 
Junior Bailey Tabeling had her best game of the season so far, scoring a career-high 33 points. Tabeling shot 12-for-19 from the field, 5-for-9 from the arc and 4-for-4 from the line. The junior also added three assists, two rebounds and two steals.
 
Junior Asiah Baxter (Indianapolis, Ind.) and redshirt sophomore Monica Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.) also finished in double figures, scoring 14 and 11 points each.
 
Graduate student Elli Garnett recorded a team-high 10 rebounds in addition to a team-high seven assists.
 
Both teams got off to a fast start. The Bobcats and Chippewas both got on the board within the first minute of play. With 7:15 on the clock, Ohio took a 9-6 lead over Central Michigan. The Chippewas stole the lead, 13-12, with back-to-back baskets with just over five minutes to go. A layup by Tabeling at 4:13 put the Bobcats up 16-13 over the Chippewas. Ohio extended its lead to 21-13 with 2:50 to play in the first quarter. The Chippewas caught up and cut the Bobcats' lead to 21-18 with 1:33 left on the clock. At the end of the first, Ohio led Central Michigan 27-20.
 
Neither team scored for almost the first two minutes of the second quarter. Ohio led Central Michigan 30-24 with 7:19 to go. The Bobcats extended their lead to 37-28 with 5:36 left in the quarter. Ohio retained its lead despite the late success of Central Michigan's offense. The Chippewas cut the Bobcats' lead to 48-43 by the end of the first half.
 
Central Michigan outscored Ohio 24-22 and dominated the boards in the third quarter. Ohio was up 59-56 with just under five minutes to go in the quarter. The Chippewas took a 63-62 lead over the Bobcats with 3:45 left on the clock. Ohio retook its lead, 65-63, off a three pointer by Tabeling. The Bobcats maintained their lead over the Chippewas the end of the quarter. Heading into the fourth, Ohio led Central Michigan 70-68.
 
It was an extremely close fourth quarter with Central Michigan taking a 76-73 lead over Ohio with 3:52 left in the game. Tabeling tied the game, 76-76, off a three pointer with 3:04 to go. The two team traded baskets back-and-forth and were tied 78-78 with 2:18 to play. A layup by Baxter put the Bobcats up with just over 30 seconds left in the game. Ohio defeated Central Michigan 89-88, advancing to the next round of the MAC Tournament.
 
The Bobcats will be back in action on Friday, March 13 when they face No. 1 Miami in the semifinals of the 2026 MAC Tournament. Tip-off is set for 10 a.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
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